2011-02-11 Azipods continue to power ahead

ABB recently won a major order to provide power and propulsion systems for two next-generation cruise ships to be built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany for Norwegian Cruise Line.

With a gross tonnage of 143,500 tonnes and capable of carrying more than 4,000 passengers, the ships will be the largest cruise liners ever built in Germany – and are due to be delivered in 2013 and 2014.

The order includes power generation and distribution systems, thruster motors, and two 17.5 MW propulsion systems including transformers, drives, and Azipod® XO propulsion units. The latter will be built at ABB’s plant in Helsinki.

For more about Azipod® technology and ABB, a leading supplier of technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while reducing their environmental impact, see our latest article or visit www.abb.com.

Azipod® electric propulsion units use a variable-speed electric motor to drive a fixed-pitch propeller in a submerged pod outside the hull. Pods can be rotated around their vertical axis to provide thrust in any direction. Photo courtesy of ABB.